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Number of 1995 sarin attack victims, deaths in Tokyo rises

Following a nationwide police survey, the number of victims of the 1995 Tokyo subway gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult has been revealed to be almost 6,300.

Earlier estimates of the victim total, the National Police Agency say, had placed the number at approximately 5,000.

This newest survey, tabulated at the end of February, places the number people lightly or seriously injured at 6,252 people. The survey also raises the death toll from 12 to 13 following the case of a man who died the day after the accident from inhaling sarin during the attack.

Ninety of the injured have filed applications for lingering illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorders and paralysis of the limbs.

Police are also in the process of confirming the cases of 34 others who applied for benefits under a December 2008 relief law.

The previous 5,000 victims estimate was mainly based on the Tokyo Fire Department's records of affected citizens taken to the hospital following the attack.

The survey was conducted by police under the law as a means of redress for those who went to the hospital due to the attack and for seven other Aum crime cases. The survey was based on investigation records and official documents, including applications for workers' compensation insurance.